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Created in 2013, Skate Guard Blog explores the overlooked, forgotten, and underappreciated corners of figure skating history - from little-known stories to fresh perspectives on famous skaters, eras, and events. There’s always something new to discover, so grab a cup of coffee and glide into the rich, fascinating history of the world’s most beloved winter sport.

Dean Bates

 Dean Lee Bates

March 22, 1954-March 7, 1993


Brown Summit, North Carolina's Dean Bates took up figure skating in his late teens at the Greensboro Ice Skating Club. He attended the University of North Carolina and joined the Ice Capades in 1976. In 1986, he performed in a benefit for hearing impaired skaters at the Beneath the Elms ice rink in Winston-Salem. He passed away at the age of thirty-eight on March 7, 1993.


Dean's obituary from the "News & Record": "Dean L. Bates, 38, of 8017 Benaja Road in Brown Summit died March 7, 1993, at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Lambeth-Troxler Funeral Home. Burial will be in Lakeview Memorial Park. A native of Guilford County, he was a sales manager for Replacements Ltd., attended Brown Summit United Methodist Church and had skated professionally in the Ice Capades. Surviving are parents, Parrish and Marie McLeod Bates of the home; sister, Mrs. Terry B. Dingess of St. Albans, W.Va.; maternal grandmother, Mrs. Amanda McFarland of Broadway."

*Source for inclusion: Coded language, Guildford County Obituaries, News & Record, March 8, 1993

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